


An Almighty Thud

by j_marquis



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Angst mostly, Drabble Collection, M/M, Romance, warnings on individual fics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-18
Updated: 2016-07-22
Packaged: 2018-06-09 04:58:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6891169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/j_marquis/pseuds/j_marquis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Niles/Leo drabbles from my tumblr. Warnings and ratings updated as I add more. But oh dear lord I will go down with this ship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. When it was just us

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for the ending of Birthright

Leo was a good king. He was calm, he was intelligent, sharp witted, and, above all, he was an impartial judge, invested only in what was best for Nohr. He cut himself off from all but his rule, slept only when he needed, worked night and day to take a crown he had never wanted.

Niles was forced to stand bodyguard, and watch the man he loved fall apart. And forced to say nothing. After all, a king would have to provide the one thing Niles could never give him- An heir. So he stood guard, as he always would, he went quiet, he did his duties as best he could, silent and strong and caring. Nothing more than a shadow, to keep the King from harm.

And sometimes, his Leo did ask for comfort. Never anything real, a hand would reach back and touch his as he listened, standing in front of the throne he never felt worthy to sit in. A head on Niles’ shoulder in the few moments they were alone. And the comforts were always given. He would brush his hand against Leo’s, to prove he was there. He would run scarred, calloused fingers through his hair. Neither knew to ask for more.

“Will you need for anything else, my king?” He asked, one night, turned down the plush bedding, set things right for his Leo, his lion, to rest. If he could rest at all.

He still sat at a dark desk, writing missives, trying to continue working, the bags under his eyes deep and dark, exhaustion setting in to the set of his shoulders, the tremble in his hands. “Just, one thing.”

“Anything you ask.” He meant it, with everything that was left of him.

“Stay.”

“Of course, sir.”

He watched, as Leo rose, closed his work, for the first time he had seen in months, and sat again on the edge of his bed. “Sit with me.”

So he did, and the young king crumbled, laying against his side, tucked his knees to his chest and reached once more for Niles’ hand. It was granted, and he turned so he could wrap his other arm around his liege, hold him, all the comfort he could offer.

“Can’t we go back to how it was before? When it was just us? Before we lost everyone? Niles, I am not a king. I was never meant to be king.”

“Shh.” Niles urged, held him as close as he could without forcing Leo to release his hand. “You are a good king. Better than this place deserves.”

“I don’t want it.”

“I know.” Niles whispered, like he was delivering some great secret. “But it is yours.”

“I want you.”

That, he didn’t know.


	2. Maybe a little less trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning for mentions of sexual and physical abuse.

There were whispers through the castle about the man, the thing that Prince Leo had taken in. Dirty and malnourished, one eye a mess of scar tissue in a dark hole, rumors had it that he had begged for death. That he had been found robbing the castle. That the King had ordered him killed, and that the Prince had insisted he stay.

Niles heard all the rumors. Every word of them true, even the guard who claimed that, only a few years back, he had been jailed overnight for whoring himself on the streets. But it’s not whoring if you don’t get paid, and it’s something else entirely if you never asked for it. Niles was too ashamed to correct the guard. And he was not about to risk his precarious position by informing the guard that he hadn’t just seen it, he had partaken.

So he cultivated a personality around himself. Careless, loose, arrogant and flirtatious. He hid his past behind quips and insults, reveled in making the few who held a lower position than him fear the retainer, cry at his words. He pushed everyone at arm’s length, hid behind innuendos and filthy humor. Hid from even his prince, the man who had heard him beg for death, the man who had seen him at his lowest.

To Prince Leo, he pretended he had recovered.

“You should learn to be a little less trusting of me.” He informed the slender royal, one night, when he stood behind his prince to help remove the clasps of his armor. “I could kill you, right here, right now, and be far gone by the time your body was found.”

“And then where would you go?” Leo tilted his head back, to smirk at his retainer. 

“Anywhere but here. I could get away with a sizable amount of money.” He set the armor aside, skimmed his hands over the prince’s shoulders, playing at smoothing the fabric of his shirt. Really, it was an excuse to touch the man who had saved his life. His reason for living on.

“Take me with you.” Leo whispered.

“Oh but they would hunt you down. milord. You would be a hindrance.”

“You had better hope something could be done about that.” Leo let out a warm chuckle. “Because I do not think I am ready to let you go just yet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requests? aftepes.tumblr.com


	3. Ladies of Court

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yes I know political marriages weren't even hinted at in the game and everyone married for love. Nohr is influenced by Europe and so I run with that. I liked the idea.

He wanted to convince himself all he felt for the prince was loyalty. He owed the second prince of Nohr his life, and he would give it, in intrigue or in battle. And it had worked. Until the war was over, and they started talking of the need to marry for alliances, to keep the royal bloodline. Until young women started coming to the castle, and taking Prince Leo’s attentions. Until he watched them smile at him, and he smiled in return.

Niles wanted to hate that smile. It wasn’t for him. He watched it from the shadows and he tried to pretend that smile was for him. That it was his arm his prince held, his head he ducked close to when they shared words. He knew the fantasies were stupid, were self indulgent, but he couldn’t chase them away.

His prince found him in the halls one afternoon, Niles couldn’t bear another day of watching him linger, flirt with their guests. He had thought the other retainers could handle the intrigue of court for a few moments. But there he stood, facing Niles.

“You left me in there.”

“You seemed quite content to follow the ladies around and hold their hands and watch their pretty lips spew platitudes.”

“You’ve never had anything to say about whose hands I hold.” The prince smiled.

“All they want is a title, milord. An alliance. I do not want to see you marry for politics and live miserable.”

“Thank you, Niles, but you needn’t worry for me. I am a prince, marrying for love was never an option.”

Niles looked away. He shouldn’t be jealous of them. Prince Leo would not marry for love. He would not love them. But he granted them his smiles, his touch, the things that Niles tried to pretend he did not want.

“I am sorry, milord.”

“Don’t be.”

“You can still have love. You can take lovers.”

“Is that an offer?” 

Niles stifled a laugh, tried to play off the comment. “You have listened too much to me, playing at flustering your retainer.”

“I see the way you watch me, Niles. The way you watch the ladies who vie for my affections. You want to be them, parading about in fine silks, flirting with royalty.”

“Not royalty in general, milord.” Niles’ eyes turned dark. A promise.

“You told me once that I was your reason for living. I didn’t think you would want love.”

“I want what you offer. Nothing more.”


	4. What I say Versus What I mean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prompt was "I'm fluent in a lot of different languages- One of which you're using to trash talk me." This one is unrequited, but I like to imagine it's mutual pining.

Growing up scavenging through streets, Niles had picked up quite a few languages. He could swear in too many dialects, solicit sex in every spoken word on the continent. He could write and read contracts in at least four.

And he could talk about his boss, the strange thing, in one he was sure Prince Leo didn’t speak. Because he didn’t understand the second prince of Nohr. He understood the cold, calculating strategist that he presented to the world. He understood the cruelty of the Nohrian court. He didn’t understand the kindness Prince Leo had shown him. He didn’t understand why he was still alive.

So he covered it all up. He told the servants that he didn’t like the prince. That he was unhappy, that if he thought he wouldn’t be killed on the spot he would take everything that wasn’t tied down and he would go. He didn’t know where but he would go. But he would run, and he would keep running, until he found it. But he couldn’t stay with the same half mad prince he had been sold out to.

“Niles, may I speak with you?” His prince called to him from the open door of the library.

“What is it, Milord?” Niles stopped, but he didn’t enter. He couldn’t.

“Come inside.” Leo finally looked up from his book.

So Niles made his way into the huge library, closed the door. “Yes, Milord?”

“You know, I’m fluent in over a dozen languages.” He began, stood and walked over to Niles. “One of which you were using to talk about me.”

Niles backed up, stammering. “I-I’m sorry, Milord. I didn’t mean to insinuate or offend or hurt you, I-”

“Stop.” Leo demanded.

“I will accept any punishment you offer.” The former thief hung his head, prepared for the blow.

But it didn’t come.

“Niles, are you unhappy here?” The prince did something strange. He reached over, touched his retainer’s cheek, so that Niles would look up at him.

“I am not unhappy.” Still, Niles wouldn’t look at him. He turned his head, so Leo was faced only with an eyepatch, the hints at scar tissue that surrounded it.

“Then why do you say you are? Would you leave here, if I were to release you from my service?”

“I, I don’t know.”

“I don’t want you to stay because you were forced. I thought I was offering you something better. I thought you were happy. Or, I suppose, content enough to not beg for death.”

“I am no longer begging for death, Milord.”

“But you are not happy. What can I do?”

“There is nothing, Milord, that you can do. But I will continue to serve you, and I will be happy.” He didn’t ask why his prince was so concerned. If he could pretend, for just one moment, that Prince Leo cared about him, he could be happy. He could hold on to a tiny glimmer of hope. That he was worthy of care from someone he loved, needed, so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got a prompt or request? aftepes.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> Requests? aftepes.tumblr.com


End file.
